It Won't Be Like This For Long
by farmgirl89
Summary: A song-fic prequal/continuation of my other story "Cowgirls Don't Cry" you may want to read that first so things make more sence. Read and review please!


**This is just another song-fic that I did in avoidance of studying for biology. It's sort of a continuation/expansion of my first fic Cowgirls Don't Cry. If you don't understand the characters read that one first. Once again I don't own Harry Potter; I do own Charlie's wife and daughter. I also don't own the song that belongs to Darius Rucker. Read and Enjoy!! Reviews are appreciated!!**

Charlie Weasley groaned and rolled over in his bed, beside him his wife Ashton sighed and muttered.

"I'll get her hun, you stay here." She got up and walked over to the crib that was in the corner of the room and scooped up the crying baby. Charlie didn't understand how something so tiny could make so much noise. They had brought their beautiful baby girl Abbey home two days ago, since then neither of them had gotten a solid night's sleep. Fortunately the reserve had given both of them two weeks off to be home with their baby.

_Lot of good that does me_ Charlie thought. _If I can't get any rest here I'm not gonna be able to keep Dragons. I can't even calm down my baby!_

Unable to lie in bed any longer he got up and walked past the rocking chair that Ashton and Abbey were in. Charlie watched from the door as Ashton slowly rocked and talked in a soft soothing voice, trying to lull Abbey to sleep.

Ashton worked at the reserve as well, she wasn't a dragon tamer but she could be. Quiet and calm she had soon calmed Abbey and was humming a soft song, trying not to fall asleep herself. Charlie shook his head he would rather take on 12 Northern Ice Dragons than try and quiet the screaming week old baby in his wife's arms.

He walked down the hall to the kitchen, he flicked his wand at a kettle and water instantly started boiling. He put some coffee in it and went to the sink and splashed come cold water on his face, willing himself to wake up.

"You ok Charlie?" Ashton asked from the door way. She herself looked pale and drawn out, bags were underneath her eyes, her brown hair was messy, chunks hanging out of a loose ponytail.

"I'll survive." He said as Ashton kissed his head. "I just don't know how my mom did this with seven of us."

"I don't know it's amazing though" Ashton said. "Don't worry though, Ma said this happened with all of us, it's just a phase and it'll end soon."

Charlie could only hug her and hope she was right, just as they had a moment's peace Abbey started up again from the crib.

He didn't have to wake up  
He'd been up all night  
Lay'n there in bed listen'n  
To his new born baby cry  
He makes a pot of coffee  
He splashes water on his face  
His wife gives him a kiss and says  
It gonna be OK

It wont be like this for long  
One day soon we'll look back laugh'n  
At the week we brought her home  
This phase is gonna fly by  
So baby just hold on  
It wont be like this for long

Ashton was right; the next few months flew by. Charlie watched in amazement as his baby girl grew up so fast. She started sleeping through the nights about a month after they brought her home. Charlie and Ashton were still sleep deprived, but they survived.

Abbey seemed to have inherited both of their skills with animal. She was only two years old when she wandered into the corral where Ashton kept the horses they owned, once of the young mares was finicky around everyone and had bucked Charlie off the day before. The young parents watched in amazement and Abbey teetered over on unsteady feet to where the large animal was laying and hit it on the nose. Blaze, the horse simply looked at Abbey, sniffed her and gently nudged her. Charlie climbed into the corral and grabbed Abbey, handing her over the top rail to Ashton.

Another time when Abbey was three she was riding on the back of Charlie's work horse Icy a white stallion when Charlie was taking a heard of cattle up to one of the dragons who couldn't hunt anymore. Something spooked the cattle and they began charging, Icy bucked and Abbey fell off she stood up just in time to see the cattle running at her. Charlie looked on in horror, knowing his daughter would be trampled.

"Stop!" Abbey yelled and for some reason the cattle all stopped stampeding and slowly slowed to a fast walk, all of them going around her and finally coming to a stop. "Look Daddy, I'm a cowgirl!!"

"Yes you are Abbey-girl." Charlie said, almost in tears, relieved that his daughter was fine.

Four years later bout four thirty  
She's crawling in there bed  
And when he drops her off at preschool  
She's clinging to his leg  
The teacher peels her off of him  
He says what can I do  
She says now dont you worry  
This will only last a week or two

It wont be like this for long  
One day soon we'll drop her off  
And she wont even know your gone  
This phase is gonna fly by  
If you can just hold on  
It wont be like this for long

Those days of her clinging to her leg begging him not to go seemed like forever ago to Charlie. Most days Abbey stayed holed up in her room, never wanting to go riding with him or to the reserve.

After watching her stomp up the stairs again Charlie looked at his wife.

"Don't worry dear, this is just a phase." Ashton said. "All teenage girls feel this way, she's still your little girl."

"I know, I miss my little girl though, I want her back. I want the little girl who was clinging to my leg the day I dropped her off at preschool."

"Don't worry she's still clinging to you just in a different way. I went through the same thing with my dad. Before I walked down the isle with him I was crying saying that I didn't want to leave him alone."

"Really, and you still walked down the isle to me?" Charlie said grinning in a goofy way.

"Yes you big dork obviously I did." Ashton said grinning and kissing Charlie.

Charlie sat in the living room with Bryan Moore. He was taking her some dance that the school they went to was having. He was holding a flower in his hands, a light yellow one that would match Abbey's rusty red/brown hair beautifully.

"What time will you be back?" Charlie asked calmly.

"Around 1 Mr. Weasley, sir." Bryan said looking at the wall opposite him.

"You do know she's my only little girl son. If you do anything to hurt her I will hurt you." Charlie said just as Abbey came walking down the stairs. "You look beautiful cowgirl." With one last look at Bryan he left the room.

One day soon she'll be a teenager  
And at times you'll think she hates him  
Then he'll walk her down the isle  
And he'll raise her vial  
But right now she up and cry'n  
And the truth is that he dont mind

Abbey had just gone through the divorse with Brayn, it had nearly broken Charlie's heart to watch his little girl go through such heart break. But that was forgotten, Bryan was forgotten the second Abbey laid eyes on her baby girl Bailey Ginnerva. Abbey and Bailey were living with Charlie and Ashton now, but soon Charlie knew they would be leaving, moving on to the next phase. Most nights Abbey stayed up with Bailey, who slept just as well as Abbey had, but this night she was exhausted so Ashton told Abbey to get some sleep. Charlie sood in the door way waching his daughter get ready for bed, she climbed into bed and Charlie sat down next to her.

"I'm proud of you Abbey-girl."

"Thanks daddy," Abbey muttered her eyes closed, almost alseep.

"I love you." Charlie said, quietly he layed down next to her and began thinking about all the things that he and Abbey had gone through. "I love you Abbey-girl."

As he kisses her good night  
And she says her prayers  
He lays down there beside her  
Till her eyes are finally closed  
And just watch'n her it breaks his heart  
Cause he already knows  
It wont be like this for long  
One day soon that little girl is gonna be  
All grown up and gone  
Yeah this phase is gonna fly by  
He's try'n to hold on  
It wont be like this for long

Charlie woke with a start; he had fallen asleep next to Abbey again. She was living with them again after leaving her husband Bryan. In the next room he could hear Ashton quieting his granddaughter Bailey. Abbey was getting remarried the next day; his little girl was all grown up. Too fast for Charlie, it seems like years ago that they had brought her home from the hospital.

Ashton was right they had laughed about it, the laughed when the told Abbey that her daughter Bailey was just like her, crying all through the night. He sighed again thinking back to all the things, all the phases that they had gone through. She was still clinging to his leg, just like his little girl. He blinked furiously, trying to keep the tears from falling. He loved Abbey so much, she was his baby, his Abbey-girl, his cowgirl and he wasn't read to let her go, but like every other time this phase was going to pass, he just had to wait because:

It wont be like this for long


End file.
